Samantha Brown's Places to Love

-I'm in a city that everyone has heard of but few can grasp, a captivating city that is a confluence of history, art, and music.

As one of Europe's largest cities, it has an exuberant energy that can only be felt to be believed, a powerhouse of grand experiences that range from the worldly to the local, from the deeply emotional to shared joy.

I'm in Budapest, Hungary.

I'm Samantha Brown, and I've traveled all over this world.

And I'm always looking to find the destinations, the experiences, and, most importantly, the people who make us feel like we're really a part of a place.

That's why I have a love of travel and why these are my places to love.

Samantha Brown's "Places to Love" is made possible by... -We believe watching the world go by isn't enough.

That's why we climb... pedal... and journey beyond the beaten path, on storied rivers, with a goal of making sure that every mile traveled turns into another memory.

You can find out more at amawaterways.com.

-To travel is to live, and at AAA, we've been passionate about travel for over 100 years.

That's why we created AAA Vacations, member travel experiences around the world.

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-In order to get to my first destination in Budapest, I'm taking the city's funicular railway, which has been in service since 1870.

Well, judging from the amount of people taking pictures of themselves here, this is the place that if you don't have your picture taken here, you have not been to Budapest.

-Welcome to selfie heaven of Budapest.

This is one of the oldest parts of the city, the Castle Hill, District Number I.

-Okay.

-I'm Balzs Gymnt.

I'm a professional world traveler.

I live in an amazing city called Budapest, and my job is to show people around this amazing city and all around the world.

-And what are we walking towards?

This is absolutely majestic here.

-Fisherman's Bastion.

This part of the city, back in the days, was guarded by the fishermen's guild.

-Well, this really is a fantastic place, and where it leads us is even more fantastic.

This is a pretty phenomenal view.

We've got the Danube down there, and then just the city spreads out before you.

-Budapest is basically two cities -- Buda and Pest.

-Mm-hmm.

-We are on the older parts on the hill.

And then the other side, it's flat, and it's much, much larger, and that's Pest.

-Up here is where you feel a tremendous amount of energy because you have the movement of the river.

You have the ships and the boats on the river.

You have the people toing and froing.

There is an energy here that I have to admit I was not expecting.

I thought -- and this is my first time to your brilliant city -- that Budapest was heavy, it was old Europe, there was sort of a weight here.

And when you arrive, immediately, you feel this electric current running through this city.

-I'm very happy to hear that, and yes, you're right.

Budapest is the unexpected part of Europe.

-Now, we are on the Buda side, and that is Pest.

-Correct.

-A river separates the two.

There has to be some type of competition.

[ Laughing ] -There is.

There is.

I live on this side of the city.

-Okay.

-I'm a Buda boy.

We only go to the other side so we can take a picture of our side of the city.

But, you know, if I want to be honest, most of the things are happening on the other side of the city.

So that's where businesses are, that's where nightlife is.

-We have everything here on the Buda side, but, you know, that's still the buzzing part of the city.

-So, Zsolna, everyone who doesn't live in Budapest has this idea that people who do live in Budapest have their coffee in cafs like this... ...every single day.

-No.

[ Laughs ] -Is that true?

-I don't think we go to cafs like this, no.

This is really one of the most beautiful cafs in the world.

But if you look around, you can see that it's mainly actually tourists, so not too many locals, but we still do go to cafs.

-From what I've read, the people who came here to the New York Caf were writers.

They were editors.

And you're a writer.

So, why would this caf be where writers were?

-I mean, if you think about aspiring writers or poets, they didn't have a lot of money.

-Mm-hmm.

-So they were living in damp and, I don't know, dark apartments, so obviously, it was much nicer to -- I mean, look around -- -Yes.

-...spend your afternoon here.

So you came here, you read the newspapers, but they just had a small espresso, and that's it.

And then they got their paper and ink, and they started to write.

-Cafs like this may be nostalgic, but is the golden age of cafs completely forgotten in more modern times?

-Do you, Zsolna?

Do you sit down every time you have a cup of coffee and enjoy?

Or do you take your coffee to go?

-Mostly.

I very rarely take my coffee to go.

-[ Sighs ] That makes me so happy.

-[ Laughs ] -So the coffee culture of sitting down and enjoying a cup of coffee is still alive and well in Budapest.

-I hope so, yes.

[ Laughs ] [ Laughter, indistinct shouting ] -The legendary baths of Budapest are where the locals come to find their bliss.

And so it is only right and culturally appropriate that we join them.

And even though you see everyone is having a great time, it's an important distinction -- this is not a pool of overly chlorinated water.

This water is coming up 4,000 feet from deep within the Earth, and when it gets to the surface, it's like 180 degrees Fahrenheit, and they've got to cool it down to what it is now, which is a lovely 85 degrees.

And speaking of the water, it is just filled with wonderful minerals that make your body and your aching bones and muscles feel so good.

So even though you're seeing joy, you're feeling it, this is completely medicinal.

Szchenyi is called the palace, and it feels like one.

You move from room to room encountering different pools -- 21 in all, with varying water temperatures.

It's very easy to spend the entire day here.

And here in Hungary, it could be just what the doctor ordered.

If there's one word I could use to describe Budapest -- I could only use one -- I would use the word "intriguing."

And if there is one building that represents that intrigue, it is the Parliament Building.

-I appreciate.

I feel the same.

Actually, I fell in love with this building when I was a child.

-Mm-hmm.

-And I'm so happy I can work here now.

-The Hungarian Parliament used to be comprised of two houses, and Andrs Lukcs' tour of the building is especially impressive in the areas where the lords in the Upper House worked.

Today, there's only one house, and this room is still where the members of Parliament vote.

You know, and you see it from the outside, and it takes your breath away, and it's so nice to know that inside... -Inside, too, right?

-...it's just as... -Yeah, that's it.

-It's just as magnificent.

-This is the main staircase, at the bottom of which is the main entrance that you might have seen from outside.

That's the one with those two bronze lines.

-That's the main entrance.

-Yeah, yeah.

-This is the front door.

-Basically, yeah.

-[ Laughs ] I mean, this really says, "We are an important country."

-That was the main goal, actually.

-Okay.

-The architect wanted to show how rich the history of the architecture here in this country is, and that's why you can see really different styles.

-So, the Parliament building is over 100 years old?

-Yeah, it was made between 1885 and 1904.

-And yet it represents the entire history of Hungary, correct?

-Yeah, you can say so.

-This was once a kingdom before it was a country.

-Yes, this kingdom was founded in 1000, and the last king was crowned in 1916.

-And quite unbelievably, the coronation regalia for all those kings -- the crown, the orb, the scepter -- are here.

-So, they are the Crown Guards.

Their task is to protect the coronation regalia, and they are changing every hour.

The coronation regalia are always protected.

So, the coronation regalia.

In the very middle of the whole building, that's the holy crown.

All Hungarian kings, all of them, had to be crowned with this crown here to become official, legitimate kings of the country.

It's the most important relic here in the country.

-Is this something that's still really important to the Hungarian people, that you have this crown that was laid on the heads of 50 kings?

-As people say, the crown embodies the power that used to belong to those kings in those times, and nowadays, the very same power is supposed to belong to the people, right?

-Uh-huh, yeah.

-And people are represented by the members of the Parliament, so the right place for the holy crown is... -Right here.

-...in Parliament.

-One of the surprises of Budapest is that it is an opulent European capital that is actually quite affordable.

The higher-end experiences become attainable.

One way to make a fine meal less expensive is having it at lunch.

I joined Balzs at a restaurant that is creating their own modern style for a timeless cuisine.

-You know, these are the food that you usually have at a traditional setting at a countryside house.

Your grandmother is making these, or you buy these at the market.

And sitting here at a Michelin-starred restaurant and seeing these traditional dishes in a whole new form... -Mm-hmm.

-It takes my breath away.

This is called a lngos.

-A lngos.

It's fried dough.

-It's fried dough.

That's what you get at the market.

-Yes.

-Then you put a little garlic on it, and you put cheese and sour cream.

-Okay.

-And that's the traditional way, and it's extremely inexpensive.

-Mm-hmm.

-Now, seeing this in that tiny little one-bite size, it's amazing.

To your health.

-Cheers.

-Cheers.

-Wow.

[ Laughs ] -The big one is marinated duck liver.

with sour cherry and roasted peanuts on top.

And this is the famous Tokaji Asz.

It's a dessert wine.

-Mm-hmm.

-And it goes very well with the duck liver.

-Oh, that's wonderful.

That is an amazing wine.

So, our final course is going to be the goulash.

-The goulash.

Goulash is the soup of the cowboy.

-Looks a little nicer right now.

-Looks amazing.

-The Stand creates precise, elegant versions of Hungarian classics.

An exquisite multi-course meal without wine costs only about 40 U.S. dollars.

-Thank you for taking me out in my own city.

-Oh, am I picking up the bill?

[ Laughs ] -We are at the Franz Liszt Music Academy.

He was not just one of the greatest Hungarian composers and musicians -- he was the founder of the academy.

-Mm.

-It was in 1875 when the academy was founded.

And then, well, in these years, this building was not here, so it was kind of built later on, at the beginning of the 20th century.

And the whole thing is designed in a very pretty-looking Art Nouveau style.

-So, even though Franz Liszt founded this academy of music... -Yes.

-...he never saw this building.

-No, unfortunately.

No, no.

-I think he would have liked it.

-He would have liked it, and I think it grew up to his name.

We can really say that.

-[ Sighs ] And this building has students?

How many students?

-Yes, we have more than 800 students from all around the world.

-And I'm starting to hear music, and just subconsciously, I think, "Oh, it's being piped in through speakers," and then I realize it's not.

Are they the students practicing right now?

-Yes, yes, absolutely, they are.

-It's so lovely.

-This is not only a world- renowned teaching institution, but also the city's primary concert hall.

-A concert hall where most musicians that you've ever heard about during the 20th century, they all performed here once or twice.

-Wow.

Oh, my goodness!

[ Laughs ] Well, yeah, if I'm a musician, I want to play here.

The Great Hall is an extravagant space and home to a rare instrument -- a masterpiece of an organ with 4,000 pipes, four keyboards, and 77 registers.

More common in basilicas, this organ is here for musical study and professional concerts.

Is this a stage that, internationally, musicians want to play on?

They want to have this in their portfolio, as it were, on their rsum -- "I played at the Great Auditorium or the Great Concert Hall"?

-Yes, I would absolutely agree to that.

People absolutely want to come here, and they usually enjoy it.

-I'm Joshua Bell, concert violinist here in one of my favorite halls in the world, the Great Hall at the Franz Liszt Music Academy.

-This space here, to me, just exudes classical music.

I feel like the space itself is a warm-up band for the audience.

We are already in the mood to hear great music.

As a musician, does it do the same thing?

Emotionally, are you reactive to a space like this?

-Well, absolu-- I mean, when you hear music here or play music, it doesn't feel like it's a museum piece.

You know, the approach to classical music isn't something that's sort of historical.

It just feels alive.

You feel like when you're playing Brahms here, you feel like you could have been playing Brahms during his lifetime.

-Mm-hmm.

-The audience here is one of the best audiences in the world, in Hungary.

I mean, they seem to hang on every note.

They seem to get it.

They really...

They're inside it.

They're here for the music, not for some social reasons or whatever.

They're just...They're really here to enjoy music, and you feel it, so it makes you want to play better.

Even the way they applaud I think, would surprise some people who are not used to it.

I don't know how it starts, but somehow, they start clapping in unison, and it accelerates, and it gets...

It's exciting to be in the audience.

I was at a concert in the smaller hall last night, and the audience started doing that.

As an audience member, you just... You get excited by that.

You feel like you're part of something really special.

-Yeah, and that's why partaking in hearing music, listening to music, is so important when we travel.

I feel like food really takes all of our attention... -Yeah.

-...when we travel now because as a traveler, you're like, "I'm going to go outside my comfort zone.

I'm going to taste the food that they make."

Do you wish that more people would have that approach with music?

-Well, yeah, I certainly do that with music, and I know many people who, when they travel, that's the first thing on their mind, is listening to local music.

In Hungary, you have the gypsy tradition.

So that's something I like to do as a classical artist -- go to a bar where they feature gypsy music, which has a long tradition in this country, which for me is awesome and inspiring.

-So it sounds like with, you know, approaching a destination in the same way we approach food with music, is to enjoy sort of the five-star meal, like we would here at the Franz Liszt Grand Concert Hall and then go to the streets and have great street food.

-Yes, exactly.

Exactly.

-Music plays a huge part in a trip to Budapest.

There's even a hotel dedicated to all forms of it.

The Aria Hotel offers the crescendo that makes the end of a day a finale.

This is the panoramic terrace, and if the beauty of Budapest sweeps you off your feet, this is where it carries you away, and you feel like you are floating above the most magical city you have ever been to.

From here, you can see the steeples and the domes and the hills and the red roofs and, oh, my goodness, Saint Stephen's Basilica.

This is just a magical view.

[ Bell tolling in distance ] -[ Singing in foreign language ] -This is the very first time, I'm embarrassed to say, that I have been inside a synagogue.

I've been in cathedrals, and I've been in temples all over Asia, mosques.

This is the first time, and I have to say, I'm very surprised.

It's not what I expected.

It looks oddly familiar in terms of... -You know, it's three in one.

-Okay.

-It's a synagogue, a cathedral, and a mosque.

-Oh, okay!

[ Laughs ] Now I'm completely confused.

-I'm Robert Froelich.

I'm the chief rabbi of this wonderful synagogue, the Dohny Street Synagogue, which is the symbol of the Hungarian Jews since 1859.

The guy who made the blueprints of the synagogue... -Mm-hmm.

-...was a Christian guy.

-[ Laughing ] Okay.

-Of course.

And he wanted to show the roots of Judaism... -Okay.

-...from the East.

So when you see the synagogue, all the architecture -- these arcs, the whole interior, the colors... -Yes.

-These are the Moorish style.

The building itself, it's a cathedral.

It's not like a Jewish synagogue.

The two pulpits there, you see.

-Yes.

-These are in a church... -Exactly.

-...not in the synagogue.

But we have the ark here.

-Mm-hmm.

-We have the Torah reading table, which is a part of the synagogue.

-Okay, how does a synagogue this large -- the largest in Europe, which is such a statement of, "We are here.

We are practicing our religion.

This is our way way of life."

How does it then survive through some of the toughest times the world, the world, has ever known, with World War I and World War II, and yet you're still here?

I'm amazed I still get to stand in this.

-[ Sighs ] It's written in the Books of Moses that we are the chosen people.

We believe in it, that we are chosen to survive.

We've been chased.

They wanted to destroy us, to kill us, to raze us from the Earth, and we are still here.

I would like to say something about the cemetery which is next to the synagogue because it's very unusual to have a cemetery next to a synagogue.

During the World War the second, the Budapest ghetto was located here.

-Mm-hmm.

-Four blocks only, a square.

70,000 people were forced in this very, very small area.

The people who died in the ghetto could not be taken to the Jewish cemetery, which was the other part of the city.

It's about 2,500 people buried here.

-How many?

-2,500.

-Oh, my goodness.

-There are 22 mass graves here.

And let me mention this column.

They found the original blocks the survivors put here for the memory of their mothers who died here in the ghetto.

-Mm-hmm.

-We found that white block.

Two words -- it shows all the cruelty of the World War the second, of the Holocaust.

-Ohh.

[ Sniffles ] But this is why it's important that we travel and we come to other places of worship and we understand what happened in the past because of what's happening now, right?

-Yeah.

-I mean, we are in a place now where we can't look at this and say that hatred is gone, no one feels this hatred that caused this.

We can't say that, and that's sad.

-Unfortunately, we can't.

-Mm-hmm.

-Right.

-A lot of us come to understand the past by coming to your synagogue.

What is the synagogue's mission presently and for the future?

-You know, we are the link.

-The link.

-The link between the past and the future.

The Jews don't use the phrase "carpe diem."

-Okay, no "seize the day."

-No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

We live in the eternity.

-Live in the eternity.

-The city of Budapest has an atmosphere of timelessness that is most keenly felt on the Danube.

At night, the buildings and monuments take on a more luminous appearance, alive in their light, as if they have all assembled on the river's edge just to present in this magical moment of evening.

Adding to the magic, I'm here during the gala Festival Academy Budapest.

And at Joshua Bell's recommendation, I'm joining him and his friend, the legendary violinist Barnabs Kelemen, to hear some authentic gypsy music.

-What do you think when you watch these guys play?

I mean...

I know.

Yeah.

-You will hear why.

-As a violinist, I admire their approach to the instrument, which is a little different from ours as classical musicians, and we violinists admire the gypsy violinists.

The one tonight, I know, is particularly extraordinary, so I'm sure I'll take a look at his bow arm and see if I can learn a thing or two.

[ Laughs ] Because, I mean, the speed and the way, the technique that they use is quite extraordinary.

[ Crowd cheering ] -Are you gonna get up and play?

-Maybe.

Just a little more inspiration.

[ All laugh ] -Okay.

Hear, hear, hear!

-Well, I travel hundreds of days per year, and I love traveling.

I enjoy experiencing the food and, of course, the music, and Hungary and Budapest in particular is a great place for music.

I mean, you have to stop here and maybe afterwards check out the gypsy violinists at one of the bars where they specialize in the great tradition of gypsy music making.

-If you want to explore a city which is still unexpected and unexplored, Budapest is the right place to go.

-So, if somebody wants to feel the borderline of East and West, Eastern Europe and Western Europe, if somebody wants to feel the special air of a city which is more than 1,000 years old, visit here.

-This is why we share a love of travel.

And that's why Budapest, Hungary, is a place to love.

[ Cheers and applause ] -For more information about this and other episodes, destination guides, or links to follow me on social media, log onto placestolove.com.

Samantha Brown's "Places to Love" was made possible by... -We believe watching the world go by isn't enough.

That's why we climb... ...pedal... and journey beyond the beaten path, on storied rivers, with a goal of making sure that every mile traveled turns into another memory.

You can find out more at amawaterways.com.

-To travel is to live, and at AAA, we've been passionate about travel for over 100 years.

That's why we created AAA Vacations, member travel experiences around the world.

Learn more at AAA.com/LiveTV.

-All of the untamed beauty of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, experienced on a journey by rail.

Rocky Mountaineer -- proud sponsor of "Places to Love."